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Post by s on Jul 22, 2007 14:22:44 GMT -5
I liked the Snape-in-the-pensieve scene.
The epilogue could have been better executed. Why Rose and Hugo?
Rowling is incapable of subtleness. Like, all the allusions and such are just so obvious. Like the "codenames" - I mean, really.
Parts of it were good. I still don't really understand how Harry survived.
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Post by Gigi on Jul 22, 2007 15:11:36 GMT -5
I didn't really enjoy the epilogue either. I wished it hadn't gone so far into the future. It should have taken place at either Ron/Hermione's or Harry/Ginny's wedding. Introducing us to their children wasn't really necessary (unless you're setting up a new series of books), but it would have been nice to know what careers they all took up. We only know Neville is teaching Herbology at Hogwarts.
When Ron and Hermione were missing from the Room of Requirement before the battle, was I the only one who thought maybe they had snuck off somewhere to have sex? If they died in battle, they wouldn't want to die virgins, right?
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Post by Zavi on Jul 22, 2007 15:16:10 GMT -5
When Ron and Hermione were missing from the Room of Requirement before the battle, was I the only one who thought maybe they had snuck off somewhere to have sex? If they died in battle, they wouldn't want to die virgins, right? I thought that too. And before I realized Harry only had a half hour to go to Voldemort, I was wondering why he wasn't going to have a quickie with Ginny. It probably wouldn't happen in the book, but I have a dirty mind. |
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Post by Zaid on Jul 22, 2007 15:28:23 GMT -5
I was debating between whether they'd died, or had a rumble in the jungle. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised at the latter. I mean, come on! There was swearing in a book which 7 and 8 year olds might read!
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Post by Gigi on Jul 22, 2007 15:34:48 GMT -5
And before I realized Harry only had a half hour to go to Voldemort, I was wondering why he wasn't going to have a quickie with Ginny. It probably wouldn't happen in the book, but I have a dirty mind. Harry was too focued on Voldemort and keeping his distance from Ginny to keep her safe, but Ron and Hermione were just a bit too hormonal. |
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Post by Persnickety Raven on Jul 22, 2007 16:48:03 GMT -5
I liked the Snape-in-the-pensieve scene. The epilogue could have been better executed. Why Rose and Hugo? Rowling is incapable of subtleness. Like, all the allusions and such are just so obvious. Like the "codenames" - I mean, really. Parts of it were good. I still don't really understand how Harry survived. I think the code name obviousness was intentional, seeing as many of the speakers were well known (Like Lupin and Kingsley). Besides, would you prefer a Snicket-esq tangled web of confusion as to what a certain name has to do with someone?  |
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Artemis
Reptile Researcher
Posts: 31
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Post by Artemis on Jul 22, 2007 17:21:56 GMT -5
I thought that Deathly Hallows was absolutely wonderful! Possibly the best book I have ever read. I loved how the "final battle" took place at Hogwarts and how for a while it seemed like Harry was going to die. I really couldn't have imagined a better ending.
I was a little bit surprised by how much I had anticipated. My Snape theory was exactly how it happened in the book. I think we kind of all suspected that part of Voldemort's soul ended up in Harry, too.
As for the nicknames, did anyone else notice why Remus was called Romulus?
A Roman myth describes them as brothers who were brought up by a female wolf. In the end Romulus founded Rome. The whole story ties in with Lupin being a werewolf.
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Post by Shelly on Jul 22, 2007 17:35:04 GMT -5
That sequence in Gringotts was great, and the way it tied in with the cover! Magic. Imagine the charms Bellatrix put on her treasure being used in real banks today?
The whole RAB = Regulus was pretty obvious, and the way that Kreacher's attitude changed was certainly surprising.
Fred, Hedwig, Tonks, Lupin, Mad Eye - the list of deaths seems never ending.
And Percy admitted he was a prat!!! Hooray!
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Post by Jacques Snicket on Jul 22, 2007 21:48:26 GMT -5
I liked the part when Voldemort (foolishly) attempted to use the Elder Wand to kill Harry, but the Wand would never betray its rightful master. Either that or Harry's Expelliarmus had enough force behind it to cause the Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Tom Riddle forever. Voldemort got pwned by the very wand he held in his hand. Nice.  |
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Post by RockSunner on Jul 22, 2007 22:43:20 GMT -5
I liked the part when Voldemort (foolishly) attempted to use the Elder Wand to kill Harry, but the Wand would never betray its rightful master. Either that or Harry's Expelliarmus had enough force behind it to cause the Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Tom Riddle forever. Voldemort got pwned by the very wand he held in his hand. Nice. My theory on the final curse rebound is that Harry's self-sacrificing "death" re-created his mother's protective magic -- since his death was meant to save others Harry loved, (Update: When Harry came back to life I think it also extended protection to him.) Voldemort was destroyed by the same magic that took him out in the first place. |
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Post by PJ on Jul 22, 2007 22:47:02 GMT -5
I don't think so. Voldemort's curse was aimed at Harry, not the people he was protecting. The Eldar Wand refused to attack its rightful master, and so the magic turned upon him. And Harry's Expelliarmus caused the Eldar Wand to fly out of Voldemort's hands.
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Post by Linda Rhaldeen on Jul 22, 2007 23:01:17 GMT -5
Ok, so I'm going to randomly start talking about as many things as I can think of. I loved the part after Harry came back after his brush with death and all the people were shouting and nothing Voldy did could stop them. And then Neville...man, he has come a long way since book one. When stood up to Voldy, completely fearless, and then pulled Gryffindor's sword out of the hat and started chopping up the snake I just about died in happiness. He is THE MAN.
Luna's dad was wonderfully eccentric, by the way, if a bit of a coward, and Luna's room with the paintings of her friends on the ceiling was quite touching.
I like how Harry didn't actually have to murder Harry, it was his own spell backfiring that did the trick. I was worried that Harry wouldn't have it in him to kill.
Snape's memories were brilliant. And that part where Snape said he wouldn't run like Karkaroff and Dumbledore agreed that he was a brave man and said some people were sorted too early, wasn't that such a touching moment? I felt so sorry for Snape right there that I almost started crying.
Rita Skeeter - give me a moment to imagine her being stabbed with little pins. And while I'm at it, Umbridge as well. Ah, that felt good.
Oh, Dudley. He turned out not to be such a rotten brat after all. Wasn't that part so great, when he was trying to tell Harry how he felt and didn't know how? And then all he ends up saying is that Harry's not a waste of space. I kind of wish we knew what happened to Dudley.
Crabbe starting that fire that ends up destroying the Horcrux and getting himself killed in the process? I loved the irony of it.
Harry being kind to Kreacher was so wonderful. I loved how he made Kreacher happy again. Oh, and that part at the end where Ron sticks up for the house elves and then Hermione just runs up and embraces him was great too. If I'd been her, I'd have done the same.
Now, the deaths: Mad-Eye, Hedwig, Fred, Lupin, Dobby, Tonks....it was weird, I was really sad about them until the epilogue part, and then it suddenly jumps ahead all those years and it felt like they'd been dead a long time, and it wasn't so sad anymore. I wonder if JKR meant to do that?
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Post by Charles Vane on Jul 23, 2007 0:27:13 GMT -5
I read ten pages and got very depressed when Remus and Tonks got married. Then I put the book down and now I dont have it anymore.
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Post by Dear Dairy on Jul 23, 2007 2:47:27 GMT -5
I agree with so much that everyone else has said, I won't bore you with a complete rundown, just a few notes.
First of all, I feel completely VINDICATED that my boyfriend Snape turned out to be Good. I told you so. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) His death scene was so touching. But how did Hermione know to produce a vial for Harry? Anyway, everything I said about him was true: He was in love with Lily; he saw Lily in Harry's eyes; he had promised to protect Harry; and, most of all, he had promised Dumbledore that he would be the one to kill him (DD) to protect Draco from having to commit murder and also because DD was already dying. "He was the bravest man I ever knew."
One scene that stands out for me was Ron's return. When he was standing before Hermione with his arms out and she was looking at him with wide eyes, I was thinking she is totally going to kiss him now -- finally. Then she started beating him up! That was such a surprise; another stroke of genius by Rowling.
I appreciated that Harry was able to rid the world of Voldemort without having to commit direct murder. When I first read the words of the spells, though, I thought: "Hang on, who cast which spell? Did Harry just use Avada Kedavra?" I also thought it was interesting that Harry defeated Vol. using Expelliarmus, after Lupin had warned him against over-using that spell.
Dobby's death was a strangely poignant moment, considering that I thought Dobby was the most annoying character in the series. I didn't really care about Dobby at all; I think it was the way everyone contributed clothing to bury him in that got to me. I am annoyed that Harry expended more grief over Dobby's death than over Hedwig's, though.
The only thing that disappointed me about the epilogue was not finding out what careers the Big Three ended up having. No need for Aurors any more, I guess. So what do they do for a living? Or maybe they were independently wealthy with Harry's inheritance. Of course, where all that money came from was never explained! And what was up with the naming of Harry and Ginny's kids? Didn't Ginny have any input on that? You'd think they could have named at least one of them after her relatives! I, personally, loved the names Hugo and Rose. My father-in-law's name was Hugo, and my youngest daughter's middle name is Rose.
Dudley's farewell was wonderful. The scene I would have liked to see was Dudley in the epilogue, with a child who had inherited the magical genes, and Dudley seeing him/her off to Hogwarts. Do you think he/she would have been in Slytherin or Hufflepuff?
I have read some reviews that expressed disappointment in such a sentimental, happy ending. To quote one: "It took the endtire series and boiled it down to middle class parenting and happily ever after." I think those people have lost sight of Rowling's target audience. To me, the book couldn't have ended any other way, and I was very satisfied to have a such a strong sense of closure. All is well.
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Post by Quigley Quagmire on Jul 23, 2007 7:36:59 GMT -5
I loved the book and I think'll it remain one of my favorites but I was quite sad about the deaths. I didn't expect most of the things that happened but it was written very well and it was just... wow.
I was surprisingly amused by Kreacher's change of behavior and I loved it when he returned to Hogwarts, leading the house-elves. The whole deal about the locket Horcrux was kind of obvious but it was a great twist including Umbridge in it. The whole toilet thing, to get into the ministry, was pretty funny too.
I didn't believe Harry was a Horcrux because Voldemort made six Horcruxes... and I knew that Nagini was one and Dumbledore wouldn't have said so if it wasn't. I also thought it wasn't true because then Voldemort would win... but J.K. managed to twist all this into her favor.
I laughed when Mrs. Weasley sweared at Bellatrix but I still think that J.K. shouldn't have written it since it's a children's book but I guess the books got darker... the epilogue didn't really satisfy me because it didn't really explain much except about the children. I mean, what did they do for a living? Where were all the others? What happened to Luna?
I was surprised about the whole Snape and Lily thing but I did hear some people talking about it so I was kind of expecting it. I KNEW that Snape was good! Yeah, the ear-thing made me start thinking whether Snape really was evil... but all turns out good. The book: fantastic.
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